Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am still not clear, and neither are those who seek the implementation of this plan, on when we can expect to see the roll-out begin, let alone be completed. The national broadband plan has been talked about since 2012, although I will not lay at the Minister's door responsibility for the tardiness with which successive governments have dealt with it. The Minister has been in office for almost a year, yet we still have no tender in place. People are absolutely frustrated as a result. It is impacting on the way in which people do business in 900,000 premises across the State. It is also impacting significantly on the way families live their lives. I am inundated every week by mothers and fathers whose children are unable to complete dissertations or access information required for college and course work. In addition, small and medium enterprises, and farmers, across the country have the same broadband connectivity problems.

As more and more services go on-line, the demands for broadband are increasing. Greater demand for access to these services requires greater band width, yet there is a poor level of service in so many areas. The Minister cannot allow this to continue so he will have to find a way to get this contract completed and begin the work. It is an emergency for many communities.

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